Where does “Ahriman” come from?
Ahriman derives from Persian اهریمن, from Middle Persian 𐭠𐭧𐭫𐭬𐭭𐭩, from Avestan 𐬀𐬢𐬭𐬀⸱𐬨𐬀𐬌𐬥𐬌𐬌𐬎, itself based on Avestan 𐬀𐬢𐬭𐬀 and Proto-Iranian mányuš, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European men-.
Ahriman (English): The hypostasis of chaos, destruction and evil
Definitions
- The hypostasis of chaos, destruction and evil
Ancestry of “Ahriman”, step by step
Ahriman traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Persian اهریمن
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Persian | اهریمن | devil |
| 2 | Middle Persian | 𐭠𐭧𐭫𐭬𐭭𐭩 | — |
| 3 | Avestan | 𐬀𐬢𐬭𐬀⸱𐬨𐬀𐬌𐬥𐬌𐬌𐬎 | Angra Mainyu |
| 4 | Avestan | 𐬨𐬀𐬌𐬥𐬌𐬌𐬎 | spirit |
| 5 | Proto-Iranian | mányuš | — |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-Iranian | mányuš | — |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | men- | to think, mind; spiritual activity; to stay,... |
via Classical Persian اَهْرِمَن
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Classical Persian | اَهْرِمَن | — |